Use Gemini in Google Docs to turn rough steps into a clean SOP
For Paraplanners ·
What This Does
You know how the team handles a transfer or an account opening, but the knowledge lives in your head and a messy list of notes. Gemini in Docs can turn that list into a numbered standard operating procedure (SOP) with a purpose line, a "before you start" list and a check step after each submission. You then test it against a real case.
Before You Start
- You are signed in to Google Docs with the firm's Google Workspace account. Google's help page says the feature requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan, such as Business Standard. If you do not see Gemini in the document, ask your admin.
- Your notes describe the process, not a client. Remove client names, account numbers and any real household details. Use a placeholder such as "[account label]". Check with your CCO that Gemini is approved for firm documents.
- The Workspace Experiments features on Google's page (such as matching a writing style) are for personal accounts. This guide does not use them.
Steps
1. Paste the rough steps
Open a new Google Doc and paste your notes, even if they are a jumble. Add a title line.
2. Open Gemini and give the instruction
On your computer, open the document and click Gemini. Google's page says a prompt bar appears at the bottom, and that you can move it to a side panel with Switch to side panel. You do not need to select text first.
Rewrite my rough notes in this document as a standard operating procedure. Start with a one-sentence purpose line. Add a "Before you start" checklist of what must be in hand. Then give numbered steps in the same order as my notes, each short and starting with a verb. After each step that submits something to the custodian, add a "Check" line saying what to confirm before moving on. Do not add any step, requirement or form name that is not in my notes. Where my notes are unclear, insert [CONFIRM] instead of guessing.
3. Review the suggestions
Google's page says Gemini shows suggestions directly in your document. Click Accept suggestion for one change at a time, or Accept all or Reject all. Accepting piece by piece is slower and lets you see what changed.
4. Tidy with Refine
To adjust a single step, select the text and click Refine on the floating bar. Google's page lists Rephrase, Shorten, Elaborate, More formal, More casual, Bulletize and Summarize. Shorten helps with wordy steps.
5. Walk it through a real or test case
Take one actual case, or a made-up one, and follow the SOP exactly as written. Confirm that no step was dropped, that the order matches how the work really happens, and that no requirement appeared that your notes never mentioned. Every [CONFIRM] gets resolved with a person who knows, such as the lead advisor or the custodian's published instructions. Then have the CCO or your supervisor approve the final version before the team uses it.
Real Example
Scenario: Your notes on submitting an account transfer read: "get form, check titling matches, client signs, advisor signs, upload to custodian portal, note the date, follow up in a week".
What you get: A seven-step numbered SOP with a purpose line, a checklist of what you need, and a Check line after the portal upload ("Confirm the portal shows the submission"). You walk it through a test case and notice that "check titling matches" got folded into the first step. You split it back out. The [CONFIRM] Gemini inserted beside "follow up in a week" shows your notes never said who follows up, so you ask your supervisor.
Tips
- Ask for a short version of the same SOP as a one-page checklist once the full one is approved.
- Version the doc with a date in the title line so the team knows which one is current.
- Keep client examples out of the SOP. A procedure that names a household is a client record.
Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area. Source for the Gemini steps: support.google.com/docs/answer/13951448, read 2026-10-06.